Les Waters\
Senior Manager, Licensing\
Email: les.waters@orr.gov.uk

20 May 2020

Andrew Wozencraft\
Infrastructure Management Director / Cyfarwyddwr Rheoli Seilwaith\
Amey Keolis Infrastructure / Seilwaith Amey Keolis Limited\
Transport for Wales CVL Infrastructure Depot Ty Trafnidiaeth\
Treforest Industrial Estate\
Gwent Road\
Pontypridd\
CF37 5UT

Dear Andrew,

Core Valley Lines: Network Statement 2021

I am writing to conclude ORR’s review of the 2021 network statement for the Core Valley Lines (“CVL”), published by Amey Keolis Infrastructure / Seilwaith Amey Keolis Limited (“AKIL”). Our reviews of annual network statements are required by The Railways (Access, Management and Licensing of Railway Undertakings) Regulations 2016 (“the 2016 Regulations”).

We are aware that AKIL needed to focus its resources on preparing to take operational control of the CVL at the end of March 2020, so we have reviewed your initial publication with that context in mind and are taking a pragmatic approach to your first publication. Improvements need to be made, but we understand that this will come over time as you become more familiar with the requirements. Our main comments relate to the following sections:

- **Performance regime**: Any train operator that crosses between the Network Rail and AKIL networks may need to make or receive payments related to delay under the performance regime in Schedule 8 of its track access contracts. Although the section on performance says that the regime incentivises AKIL to manage the impact of knock-on delays, a description of the Star Model would be a worthwhile inclusion.

- **Charging**: For the avoidance of doubt, this section should say that ORR will not be carrying out periodic reviews of access charges for the CVL, instead that AKIL intends to do so every five years, in line with ORR’s periodic reviews of Network Rail.

- **Service facilities**: This section needs more information about service facilities so that it can be fully compliant with the requirements of the 2016 Regulations and the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2177 of 22 November 2017, on access to service facilities and rail-related services. The RNE website provides a template you may follow¹. We note that you are aware of this and will seek to add more information in your provisional 2022 edition.

We understand that you will start to prepare your provisional 2022 edition in a few weeks. We are providing some detailed comments and suggestions in an annotated Word copy of your network statement for you to consider as you start this. If you have any queries on these, please get in touch.

Finally, noting that the RailNet Europe common template changed at the end of 2019², we anticipate your provisional 2022 version will follow that format.

¹ See [http://rne.eu/wp-content/uploads/Common_template_for_service_facility_information_clean.pdf](http://rne.eu/wp-content/uploads/Common_template_for_service_facility_information_clean.pdf) ² See [http://rne.eu/wp-content/uploads/RNE_NS_Common_Structure_TT_2022.pdf](http://rne.eu/wp-content/uploads/RNE_NS_Common_Structure_TT_2022.pdf) I am copying this letter to Alan Brookes at Amey and Antonio di Caprio at Transport for Wales. In line with our commitment to transparency, we will place a copy of this letter on our website.

Yours sincerely,

Les Waters